Seventeen-year-old Zuni Chopra, the daughter of producer-director Vidhu Vinod and critic Anupama Chopra, is famous in her own right as an author. She talks to Ayushi Sharma about how important it is to step beyond one’s comfort zone

They say the universe is made of stories, not atoms. You are lucky to be one of those people who wish to build sand castles with words, willing to create a place where imagination can wander. After making a mark with her first book The House That Spoke, 17-year-old writer Zuni Chopra has now unveiled her second, The Island of the Day Before, which is a compilation of short stories.

Zuni is the daughter of a well-known director, screenwriter and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra whose better known films include Parinda, 1942: A Love Story, Munna Bhai film series (Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. and Lage Raho Munna Bhai), 3 Idiots, PK and Sanju. She has always been a “fiction person.” She says her parents are her real inspiration and they support her in every way they can. Her father, Vidhu, in fact even gave Zuni the option to drop out of school and concentrate on her writing, if she so wished. “From my father, I have learnt that stressing and worrying are not useful and working hard towards something ensures you don’t feel too bad if the result does not necessarily go your way. And always chase excellence and not brilliance.”

Zuni shares that though her first two books were about poetry, she always wanted to write a novel. “I have been telling stories since I was young and I love to to do that. I grew up like that. It was a very organic process. We discussed and it happened. And then when I got the idea of a novel, they really helped and encouraged me.”

The teen writer, who has a special place in her heart for fiction and fantasy, says, “I’m definitely up for exploring other genres as well but as of now I want to delve into something which I think I’m good at.”

Zuni says, “Sometimes it’s difficult to balance school and the things outside it but I think it’s really important that the reality of life keeps us grounded and helps us figure out our identity, who you really are.”

Zuni has plans about what she wants to pursue once she finishes school. “I want to go to a liberal arts-based university in the United States and it’s really hard to qualify. But the good thing is that extra-curriculars matter and so hopefully everything I have done in the writing field will work in my favour. Just the idea of going to university is exciting.”

The teen writer is undeniably passionate about writing and finds inspiration in Neil Gaiman and Lewis Carroll.